When a jurisdiction has large numbers of sexual assault kits that have never been submitted to the lab, they face a number of complex, sensitive, and interconnected challenges. NIJ funded multidisciplinary teams to investigate the issues in Detroit and Houston. In this seminar, the teams discuss the issues they grappled with: how to triage and process the testing of the kits, when and how to notify victims, and how to make policy and practice changes to both prevent future build-ups of kits and enhance the provision of justice for victims of sexual assault.Moderator: Bethany Backes, Social Science Analyst, National Institute of Justice

The "Real World" of Dating Violence in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal PortraitNIJ
Research for the Real World SeminarSeptember 2014Professor Peggy Giordano, Ph.D., Bowling Green State University

In this seminar, Dr. Peggy Giordano of Bowling Green State University presents preliminary findings from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), a thirteen-year longitudinal study examining the lives of young people transitioning into adulthood. In this study, Dr. Giordano led a team of researchers who performed five waves of structured in-home surveys paired with in-depth qualitative interviews with a subset of respondents who had experienced violence within the context of their dating relationships. The team found that there are numerous processes within early relationships that increase the risk of teen dating violence occurring, and a window on change — that is, factors associated with 'desistance' from this destructive pattern of behavior. Further, they found that when compared to adults, teens typically exhibit fewer gender-related differences in their patterns of violence; and the issues that trigger teen violence revolve more around anger than around control.

Dr. Peggy Giordano discusses her research on what characterizes teen dating violence and how it changes over time. Dr. Giordano also talks about how conflict over key areas within a relationship can increase the risk of violence.

Opening the Black Box of NIBINNIJ
Research for the Real World SeminarJuly 2014Professor William R. King, Sam Houston State UniversityJohn Risenhoover, NIBIN National Coordinator, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

Bill King discusses the operations of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), a program through which firearms examiners at state and local crime laboratories compare tool marks on fired bullets or cartridges found at a crime scene to digitized images of ballistic evidence in a nationwide database.

Dr. King headed up a team of NIJ-funded researchers that examined the value of NIBIN database "hits" in solving crimes in which firearms are used. He will talk about the team's findings and recommendations for improving the tactical value and the strategic value of the NIBIN program.

Dr. King is joined by John Risenhoover, NIBIN's national coordinator at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who will discuss how ATF has used the research findings in an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of NIBIN.

Why Were So Many Sexual Assault Kits Not Tested in Detroit? April 2014 Interview with Rebecca Campbell, Ph.D., Michigan State University

Watch Rebecca Campbell discuss the five primary reasons that Detroit developed a large number of sexual assault kits that were not submitted to the crime lab for DNA-testing. Dr. Campbell also talks about how these "risk factors" could apply to other jurisdictions.

Notifying Sexual Assault Victims When Evidence Is Tested April 2014 Interview with Dr. Noël Busch-Armendariz, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Watch Noël Busch-Armendariz discuss what Houston is learning about the role of notifying sexual assault victims when their rape kits are DNA-tested. In talking about the nationwide implications of the Houston action-research project, Dr. Busch-Armendariz says that the nation is ready to move beyond a focus solely on kit-testing to the larger discussion of how to tackle the complicated issue of sexual assault.

The Importance of Victim Cooperation in Solving Sexual Assaults April 2014 Interview with Dr. Bill Wells, Ph.D., Sam Houston State University

Watch Bill Wells discuss the problem of unsubmitted sexual assault kits in Houston, including some lessons learned to-date. Dr. Wells also talks about the crucial role of victim cooperation in solving sexual assault cases and the Houston Police Department's hiring of a justice advocate to improve investigations.

Houston Creates a Hotline, Hires Justice Advocate to Help Solve Sexual Assaults April 2014 Interview with Caitlin Sulley, University of Texas at Austin

Watch Caitlin Sulley discuss how action-research team in Houston went about making the action-research project investigating unsubmitted sexual assault kits in Houston as victim-oriented as possible. Ms. Sulley talks about the creation of a hotline for sexual assault victims to call and the police department's hiring of a justice advocate.

NIJ's Sentinel Events Initiative borrows extensively from medicine and aviation where a blame-placing, backward-looking review process is yielding to a more forward-thinking, non-blaming, problem-solving approach. As in these other fields, significant advances in criminal justice processes may be achieved through the combined efforts of researchers, system analysts and the broad span of practitioners whose work is inextricably linked to the occurrence of error — and the eventual strengthening of the system and the prevention of future system errors. Mr. Doyle discusses the basics of a "sentinel event" review in the criminal justice system.

Automated Victim Notification: The Landscape in the U.SExpert Chat WebinarJanuary 2014 How well do automated victim notification systems work at keeping victims apprised of their offender's criminal justice status? Evaluators of the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) program discuss their findings in a free webinar hosted by NIJ and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.Moderator: Kristina Rose, Office for Victims of Crime.Panelists:

Seri Irazola, Ph.D., of ICF international and lead researcher on the study.

Erin Williamson of ICF International.

Brent Myers, Director of Registration and Victim Services at the Indiana Department of Correction.

Building Trust Inside and Out: Challenges Facing Police Leaders NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar February 2014 In the face of budget cuts, changing workforce demands, new varieties of crime and new technologies, how should police executives manage officers and other personnel and still ensure that organizational goals are being met?

Drawing on new data from a national sample,
Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum, Director of the Center for Research in Law and Justice at the University of Illinois, Chicago, discussed the latest findings from the NIJ-funded National Police Research Platform on the organizational dynamics of American police agencies. His discussion examined ways to measure agency performance, including the quality of leadership and supervision, personnel development and procedural fairness both inside and outside the organization.

Science at the National Institute of Justice Learn how NIJ uses science to solve real world crime problems. Scientists from across NIJ discuss their work and the research done by NIJ ranging from officer shift length to "john schools" to algorithms to match forensic sketches to mug shots.

Consequences of a Prison Record for Employment: How Do Race, Ethnicity & Gender Factor In? NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar February 2014 Professor
Scott Decker Arizona State University

Scientific studies have long documented the negative impact of a prison record on a person's ability to find employment. But what is the impact when gender and race/ethnicity are factored in? Also, most jobs are now advertised online — so how does this affect the ability of former prisoners to find a job?

Dr. Scott Decker and his colleagues have recently completed an in-depth examination of the roles of race, gender, and education in one of the greatest social challenges facing our nation today: employment for criminal offenders returning to the community. The findings — including the impact of having some post-high school education — may surprise you. Based on the results of this three-year study, Dr. Decker makes recommendations that could be critically important as decision-makers craft pre- and post-release policies and strategies to help more than 600,000 criminal offenders who return to the community every year, particularly in this increasingly online world.

We also recorded an interview with Dr. Decker. Watch on
YouTube or
NIJ.gov.

Why Is the United States the Most Homicidal Nation in the Affluent World? NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar December 2013 Professor
Randolph Roth Ohio State University Since World War II, the homicide rate in the U.S. has been three to ten times higher than in Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. This, however, has not always been the case. What caused the dramatic change? Dr. Roth discussed how and why rates of different kinds of homicide have varied across time and space over the past 450 years, including an examination of the murder of children by parents or caregivers, intimate partner violence, and homicides among unrelated adults.

CrimeSolutions.gov Can Be Used to Help Address Problems in Your Community This video provides information about CrimeSolutions.gov, a site that uses rigorous research to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services. Captured in the video are scenarios of how the site can be of use to justice professionals and practitioners who are working to address criminal activity in their communities. Also captured are testimonials from actual CrimeSolutions.gov users, highlighting how the site has proven to be beneficial in meeting their needs.

Second Chance Act: What Have We Learned About Reentry Programs So Far? June 2013 Interview with Ron D'Amico, Social Policy Research Associates

Offender reentry into the community is a pressing social problem. The number of inmates released every year from the nation's prisons increased fourfold over the past three decades.

Since the Second Chance Act (SCA) was passed in 2008, more than $250 million has been awarded to government agencies and non-profits for programs to help offenders successfully reenter society. NIJ is doing an in-depth study of 10 sites to determine the effectiveness of these reentry programs.

Dr. Ron D'Amico discusses findings from Phase 1 of the project: How are the programs being implemented?

Empirical Assessment of Domestic Radicalization February 2013 Interview with Gary Ackerman, Director for Special Projects, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, University of Maryland

Mr. Ackerman is conducting an empirical assessment of domestic radicalization, with an emphasis on the process of radicalization. In this interview, Ackerman explains how he is using large empirical analysis and small scale life study analysis to discover which factors might cause an individual to make the leap from illegal terrorist behavior to violent terrorist behavior.

Lone Wolf Terrorism in America February 2013 Interview with Mark Hamm, Ph.D., Indiana State University

Dr. Hamm is studying lone wolf terrorism in the United States and how such terrorists become radicalized. In this interview, Hamm explains the difference between mass violence and terrorism and discusses the ways in which many lone wolf terrorists use public forums to broadcast their intent to commit terrorist acts.

Community Policing Strategies for Countering Violent Extremism February 2013 Interview with David Schanzer, J.D., Associate Professor, Duke University and Director, Triangle Center of Terrorism and Homeland Security

Mr. Schanzer discusses his study of community policing strategies for countering violent extremism. Schanzer points out that there is a wide variety of terrorist ideologies from religious, to environmental, to economic. He is hoping to discover if particular community policing strategies are more effective in countering certain types of terrorism and building resilience against extremism.

Wrongful Convictions: The Latest Scientific Research & Implications for Law Enforcement NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar March 2013Jon Gould, Ph.D. Professor of Law, Justice, and Society & Director, Washington Institute for Public and International Affairs Research American UniversityJohn R. Firman Director, Research Division International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)

What does science tell us about case factors that can lead to a wrongful conviction? Dr. Jon Gould of American University will discuss the findings of the first large-scale empirical study that has identified ten statistically significant factors that distinguish a wrongful conviction from a "near miss." (A "near miss" is a case in which an innocent defendant was acquitted or had charges dismissed before trial). Following Dr. Gould's presentation, Mr. John R. Firman from the IACP will talk about implications for law enforcement, including soon-to-be-released recommendations based on the IACP's 2012 summit on wrongful convictions. The summit brought together experts from throughout the justice system to talk about preventing wrongful arrests and convictions.

Changing the Behavior of Drug-Involved Offenders: Supervision That Works NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar December 2012Angela Hawken, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics and Policy Analysis, Pepperdine University, and
Mark Kleiman, Ph.D.Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles A small number of offenders who are heavily involved in drugs commit a large portion of the crime in this country. An evaluation of a "smart supervision" effort in Hawaii that uses swift and certain sanctioning showed that heavily involved drug offenders can indeed change their behavior when the supervision is properly implemented.

Drs. Angela Hawken and Mark Kleiman evaluated Hawaii's swift and certain supervision program, more commonly referred to as Hawaii HOPE. They discussed what they learned and how the principles of HOPE are being applied elsewhere.

They discussed, for example, the kinds of offenders who are now being supervised under HOPE-style programs in Hawaii and on the mainland. They also discussed the important unanswered research questions, such as: the psychological mechanisms that underlie the dramatic behavior changes, the minimum effective sanction, whether sanctions should escalate, and when revocation is appropriate. They also discussed the wider implications for juveniles, alcoholics, pretrial releases and prisoners, as well as the appropriate role of the federal government.

Watch two experts talk about developing a computerized system that successfully predicts — with a high degree of accuracy — which probationers are likely to violently reoffend within two years of returning to the community.

Drs. Barnes and Hyatt teamed up with the Philadelphia Adult Probation & Parole Department in an NIJ-funded project. Here they discuss:

Why was the Probation Department interested in exploring a new risk prediction tool?

How does the random forest prediction tool work?

Why did the researchers have to work hand-in-hand with the practitioners?

The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault: Implications for First Responders in Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and Victim Advocacy NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar December 2012 Rebecca Campbell, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University

Dr. Campbell brings together research on the neurobiology of trauma and the criminal justice response to sexual assault. She explains the underlying neurobiology of traumatic events, its emotional and physical manifestation, and how these processes can impact the investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults. Real-world, practical implications are examined for first responders, such as law enforcement, nurses, prosecutors, and advocates.

Game Change: How Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships Are Redefining How We Study Crime Opening Plenary Panel June 2012

When researchers and practitioners work side by side, they can maximize their problem-solving abilities. The research partner can focus on the data and the science; the practitioner can focus on interpreting the findings and applying them in the field. In the plenary panel, panelists described the benefits, challenges and pitfalls of researcher-practitioner partnerships with a focus on the financial benefits to the practitioner. Moderator: John H. Laub, Director, National Institute of Justice Panelists:

Jeff Rojek, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina

Tami Sullivan, Assistant Professor, Yale University School of Medicine

Each year, 100-200 law enforcement officers die in the line of duty. Last year, 177 lost their lives — a 16-percent increase from 2010. As Attorney General Eric Holder noted, this is a devastating and unacceptable trend. NIJ has developed a robust research portfolio to improve officer safety and wellness and, ultimately, save lives. This panel discussed some of NIJ's most promising work to reduce shooting and traffic-related fatalities — consistently the leading causes of officer line-of-duty deaths — and improve officer wellness, which is inextricably linked with officer safety.

Moderator: John H. Laub, Director, National Institute of JusticePanelists:

Chief Walter McNeil, President, International Association of Chiefs of Police

Karen Amendola, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, Police Foundation

John Violanti, Ph.D., Research Professor, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Reforming New Orleans' Criminal Justice System: The Role of Data and Research NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar September 2012 Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., President and Director Vera Institute of Justice

With its criminal justice system in disarray following Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans invited the Vera Institute of Justice to examine the city's court and jail operations. For five years, Vera has been tracking arrest-to-first-appearance time, custodial arrests versus summonses, the granting of pretrial release, and many other decision-making points. Based on analysis of these data, Vera is making policy recommendations to assist with the implementation of new procedures and to ensure performance monitoring.

Like other jurisdictions, New Orleans had never collected court, jail, and other justice system data in ways that could inform policy development. Vera's work has demonstrated to key stakeholders that data capture and analysis can be critical. Learn more about these successes, the continuing challenges of replacing a jurisdiction's existing data systems, and how costs and other institutional issues will test the "acceptance" of critical criminal justice policies in the years to come.

NIJ also recorded an interview with Dr. Jacobson in which he addressed the following questions:

What is the New Orleans Criminal Justice Leadership Alliance?

How important is raw data in proposing criminal justice reforms in New Orleans?

What are some of the new projects and initiatives that are currently being pursued?

NIJ has funded a study examining the impact of wrongful convictions on crime victims. The study is looking at the impact on the original victim of the crime to get a better understanding of what their service needs are, and how we can better serve them both in terms of policy and practice. In this interview, Erin Williamson discusses the evaluation.

NIJ has funded an evaluation of the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification. The program, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, provides funds to states automate and improve how victims are notified about information surrounding their case. In this interview, Seri Irazola discusses the evaluation.

Mary Louise Kelley, Director of the Family Violence Prevention Services program at the Department of Health and Human Services, is joined by Anne Menard, Director of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and Eleanor Lyon, the principal investigator to discuss a study focused on nonresidential domestic violence services.

Looking Back to See the Future of Prison Downsizing in AmericaNIJ Conference Keynote Address June 2012

The recent declines in U.S. prison populations have caused many reformers to suggest that America's experiment with mass incarceration is ending. But current prison downsizing policies may well backfire if we fail to heed the lessons learned from the intermediate sanctions movement of the 1990s. In the event attendees rated highest, Dr. Petersilia summarizes these lessons and discussed why we must consider them if we want to reverse — for good — four decades of prison expansion.

More law enforcement officers die each year in traffic incidents than from any other cause, including shootings. Many of these deaths occur on the roadside as officers perform their duties. This public service announcement reminds drives to slow down and move over when they see a public safety responder on the side of the road. This video was produced by Respondersafety.com with funding from the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, and United States Fire Administration, Department of Homeland Security.

Violent Repeat Victimization: Prospects and Challenges for Research and Practice NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar April 2012 Janet L. Lauritsen, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Research tells us that a relatively small fraction of individuals experience a large proportion of violent victimizations. Thus, focusing on reducing repeat victimization might have a large impact on total rates of violence. However, research also tells us that most violent crime victims do not experience more than one incident during a six-month or one-year time period. As a result, special policies to prevent repeat violence may not be cost-effective for most victims.

Dr. Lauritsen summarizes existing research on repeat violent victimization, both here in the United States and abroad. She provides new findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey about the potential impact that reducing repeat victimization might have on rates of violence in the U.S. She discusses possible factors that can be used to predict whether victimization is likely to be repeated and suggest how such information can inform policy and practice. She also discusses several factors, such as persistent exposure to offenders, that appear to be unique to repeat victimization and most relevant to developing effective policies and practices. We also captured an interview with Dr. Lauritsen in which she discusses in three short segments:

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey?

Why is it so difficult to predict the likelihood of repeat victimization?

U.S. Department of Justice's Request for Research on Indigent Defense March 2012 Maha Jweied, Senior Counsel, Access to Justice Initiative Nadine Frederique, Social Science Analyst, NIJ

Our mission is to help the justice system efficiently deliver outcomes for individuals regardless of wealth or status, and a necessary component of our work is strengthening and improving indigent defense. How we do that is of course varied, but one important aspect is the research that's needed to identify solutions to indigent defense, and that's why the solicitation is so important.

Addiction, the Brain, and Evidence-Based TreatmentNIJ
Research for the Real World SeminarMarch 2012 Redonna K. Chandler, Ph.D.Chief, Services Research Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse

The criminal justice system encounters and supervises a large number of drug abusing persons. Punishment alone is a futile and ineffective response to the problem of drug abuse. Addiction is a chronic brain disease with a strong genetic component that in most instances requires treatment. Involvement in the criminal justice system provides a unique opportunity to treat drug abuse disorders and related health conditions, thereby improving public health and safety. This presentation highlights the following: 1) the neuro-biology of addiction; 2) evidence-based principles of addiction treatment; and 3) research efforts underway at the National Institute on Drug Abuse to expand knowledge on effectively addressing drug abuse in the criminal justice system.

We also captured an interview with Dr. Chandler in which she discusses in three short segments:

Law Enforcement officers need proper equipment when they go to work. NIJ and National Law Enforcement Technology Center work together to ensure that body armor standards help officers do their jobs. A new video is available for officers.

When it comes to saving an officer's life, nobody can hold back. NIJ's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center has created a video that can help procurement officials find the right vest for the right officer.

Economical Crime Control: Perspectives from Both Sides of the LedgerNIJ
Research for the Real World SeminarDecember 2011 Phillip J. Cook, ITT/Sanford Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Economics and Sociology, Duke University

The surge in incarceration since 1980 has been fueled in part by the mistaken belief that the population can be divided neatly into "good guys" and "bad guys." In fact, crime rates are not determined by the number of at-large criminals, any more than farm production is determined by the number of farmers. Crime is a choice, a choice that is influenced by available opportunities as much as by character. This perspective, drawn from economic theory, supports a multi-faceted approach to crime control. Dr. Cook's presentation includes examples of effective programs and policies from both sides of the ledger — both people-changing, and opportunity-changing.

We were also able to capture an interview Dr. Cook in which he discusses in three short segments:

Going Home (or Not): How Residential Change Might Help Former Offenders Stay Out of Prison Dr. David Kirk, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin October 2011

Dr. Kirk discusses how Hurricane Katrina affected ex-prisoners originally from New Orleans and their likelihood of returning to prison. Kirk also discussed potential strategies for fostering residential change among ex-prisoners, focusing specifically on parole residency policies and the provision of public housing vouchers.

We were also able to capture an interview Dr. Kirk in which he discusses in two short segments:

Translational Criminology and the Science of CommunityNIJ Conference Plenary Panel June 2011

The Monday panel examined the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, along with its implications for thinking about community capacity and crime.

Research shows that healthy communities share basic values: neighbors look out for one another and social connections are strong. A groundbreaking study from one of the largest research projects funded by the National Institute of Justice — the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods — produced important understandings about community well-being and the relationship between neighborhoods and crime. The panelists on this plenary session discussed the Project as well as drew from their own experiences to describe how (the) research affects their diverse and changing communities.

Moderator: John H. Laub, Director, National Institute of JusticePanelists:

Familial DNA searching is the practice of creating new investigative leads in cases where DNA evidence found at the scene of a crime strongly resembles that of an existing DNA profile but is not an exact match. Panelists will explain how the technology works, provide examples of successful convictions obtained through familial searches, and discuss the various misconceptions and concerns regarding this practice.

The Evaluation of NIJ by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences: NIJ's Response NIJ Conference Panel June 2011

The National Academies conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the National Institute of Justice. This panel provides an overview of the evaluation and NIJ's response to it. NIJ has accepted many of the recommendations in the NRC report, and you will learn what the agency is doing to implement them. A few of the recommendations were challenging and created considerable debate within NIJ. Plans to address these thorny issues also are discussed.

The NIJ-sponsored Expert Working Group on Human Factors in Latent Print Analysis is clarifying potential sources of error in pattern recognition analysis. It will develop best practices to remove or minimize these sources. NIJ is addressing recommendations in the 2009 National Academy of Sciences' report titled "Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward." Specifically, the panelists focus on recommendation 5, which encourages research programs on human observer bias and sources of human error in forensic examinations.

Moderator: Melissa Taylor, Program Manager, Office of Law Enforcement Standards, National Institute of Standards and TechnologyPanelists:

Researchers have devoted considerable attention to mass incarceration, specifically its magnitude, costs, and collateral consequences. In the face of economic constraints, strategies to reduce correctional populations while maintaining public safety are becoming a fiscal necessity. This panel will present strategies that states have undertaken to reduce incarceration rates while balancing taxpayer costs with ensuring public safety.

Moderator: Nadine Frederique, Social Science Analyst, National Institute of JusticePanelists:

Jake Horowitz, Manager of the Public Safety Performance Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice, Texas Public Policy Foundation

The National Broadband (Communications) Plan: Issues for Public Safety NIJ Conference Panel June 2011

The Federal Communications Commission delivered the National Broadband Plan in March 2010. As part of the plan, the FCC proposed a strategy for implementing a national public safety broadband network that would allow public safety responders anywhere in the nation to send and receive critical voice, video and data to save lives, reduce injuries, and prevent acts of crime and terror. How this strategy is implemented will have a significant impact on criminal justice and other public safety agencies nationwide, both with respect to operational capability and to resources. There are competing views of how this plan should be implemented, each with its pros and cons. This panel illuminates those issues from both sides of the debate.

How Collaboration Between Researchers and Police Chiefs Can Improve the Quality of Sexual Assault Investigations: A Look at Los Angeles NIJ Conference Panel June 2011

Panelists discuss the application of research findings from an NIJ-sponsored study of sexual assault attrition to police practice in Los Angeles. There are three main focal points: (1) the mutual benefits of researcher/practitioner partnerships, (2) the implications of variation in police interpretation of UCR guidelines specific to clearing sexual assault (with an emphasis on cases involving nonstrangers), and (3) the content of specialized training that must be required for patrol officers and detectives who respond to and investigate sex crimes.

Moderator: Bethany Backes, Social Science Analyst, National Institute of JusticePanelists:

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology NIJ Conference Interview June 2011 John Laub, Director, National Institute of Justice Robert Sampson, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University

NIJ Director John H. Laub, and his long-time research partner Robert J. Sampson received the 2011 Stockholm Prize in Criminology. They received the award for their research on how and why criminals stop offending. Doctors Laub and Sampson discuss their work on longest life-course study of criminal behavior ever conducted. They found that even highly active criminals can stop committing crimes after key turning points in life. These turning points include marriage, military service, employment and the joining of other institutions and social networks that result in a cutting off of one's ties to offending peer groups.

10th Anniversary of 9/11: Advances in Social SciencesNIJ Conference Plenary Panel June 2011 Gary LaFree, Director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism at the University of Maryland

The tragedy of 9/11 posed unprecedented challenges to forensic science, social science, and physical science and technology — the three bedrock sciences at NIJ. Recovering from the attack and preventing another one have became topmost priorities in the 10 years since the attack. As we approach the 10th anniversary, Gary LaFree discusses how that fateful day impacted social scientific priorities and the outcomes from those changes.

This is the second in a series of conversations with John Laub discussing the most recent efforts by the National Institute of Justice to build stronger ties with the Bureau of Justice Statistics to solve crime problems.

Change doesn't come easy, particularly within an institution as large and complex as the criminal justice system. Greg Berman, Director of the Center for Court Innovation, offered lessons from several efforts to make reform stick in criminal justice settings. In particular, he focused on the development of community courts — experimental court projects that are attempting to reduce both crime and incarceration in dozens of cities across the U.S. and around the world. He also drew upon his recently-published book
Trial & Error in Criminal Justice Reform: Learning from Failure (Urban Institute Press).

How do we decide how to allocate criminal justice resources in a way that minimizes the social harms from both crime and policy efforts to control crime? How, for that matter, do we decide how much to spend on the criminal justice system and crime control generally, versus other pressing needs? These questions are at the heart of benefit-cost analysis.

Benefit-cost analyses begin with the crucial and often under-appreciated first step of successfully identifying the impact of a policy or program. Jens Ludwig and Roseanna Ander will explain the different options for identifying policy and program impacts, and discuss the challenges of attempts to monetize costs and benefits. For example, some of the most important costs and benefits of crime control efforts come from intangible aspects of well-being for which dollar values are not easily attached.

Children as Citizens: Engaging Adolescents in Research on Exposure to Violence Dr. Felton Earls, Professor, Harvard University January 25, 2011

Since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, great strides have been made in the areas of child protection and advocacy. However, the concept of children, and specifically adolescents, as functional and engaged citizens has also emerged. Through the guidance and recognition of adults, children can participate in deliberative democracy as legitimate and competent citizens. This citizenship, like that of adults, can be used to enrich and improve local communities by creating a sense of ownership and fairness. Dr. Earls presented research on child participation, child citizenship and their relationship to exposure to violence. The theories and practices guiding this research originated in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods and have continued to evolve in different settings around the world.

Don't Jump the Shark: Understanding Deterrence and Legitimacy in the Architecture of Law EnforcementTracey Meares, Deputy Dean and Walton Hale Hamilton Professor of Law November 3, 2010

Deterrence theory dominates the American understanding of how to regulate criminal behavior but social psychologists' research shows that people comply for reasons that have nothing to do with fear of punishment; they have to do with values, fair procedures and how people connect with one another. Professor Meares discussed the relevance of social psychologists' emerging theory to legal theory and practice and how deterrence and emerging social psychology theories intertwine. She described her own research in urban police departments where she has attempted to integrate the findings from social psychology with deterrence and violence reduction strategies.

Mothers and Children Seeking Safety in the U.S.: A Study of International Child Abduction Cases Involving Domestic ViolenceDr. Jeffrey Edleson, University of Minnesota, Dr. Taryn Lindhorst, University of Washington, and Ms. Sudha Shetty, University of Minnesota October 12, 2010

Since the implementation of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, thousands of abused women have faced complex litigation after seeking safety in the United States. Many have been court ordered to return their to the country from which they fled and often to their abusive partners custody. The presenters discussed the findings of an NIJ-funded study focusing on the experiences of women who as victims of domestic violence in another country, come to the U.S. in an effort to protect themselves and their children, and then face international child abduction procedures under the Hague Convention.

Keeping "Community" in Policing NIJ Conference Interview June 2010 David Sklansky, Yosef Osheawich Professor of Law and Faculty Chair, Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law

Responding to High Rates of Substance Abuse Failure Among Probationers: Delaware's Decide Your Time Program NIJ Conference Interview June 2010 Dan O'Connell, Associate Professor, University of Delaware

How Does Assimilation Status Among Hispanic Youth Impact Their Involvement in Violence and Victimization? NIJ Conference Interview June 2010 Holly Ventura, Assistant Professor, University of Texas-San Antonio; and Chris L. Gibson, Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Police-on-Police Shootings and the Puzzle of Unconscious Racial Bias Christopher Stone, Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of the Practice of Criminal Justice, Harvard Kennedy School June 24, 2010

Professor Christopher Stone recently completed a study of police-on-police shootings as part of a task force he chaired in New York State. He reported on his findings and recommendations, exploring the role of race in policing decisions, methods to improve training and tactics to defuse police-on-police confrontations before they become fatal, and methods to improve the investigations of such shootings.

Technology Becomes a Tool for Abuse Interview June 2010 Cindy Southworth, Founder and Director, Safety Net: The National Safe & Strategic Technology Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence

Cindy Southworth discusses how technology is a new tool that abusers are misusing in their harassment, threats and stalking.

Solutions in Corrections: Using Evidence-based Knowledge Dr. Edward Latessa, University of Cincinnati May 13, 2010

Professor Ed Latessa describes how his team and he assessed more than 550 programs and saw the best and the worst. Professor Latessa shared his lessons learned and examples of states that are trying to use evidence-based knowledge to improve correctional programs.

Less Prison, More Police, Less Crime: How Criminology Can Save the States from Bankruptcy Dr. Lawrence Sherman, University of Pennsylvania April 21, 2010

Professor Lawrence Sherman explains how policing can prevent far more crimes than prison per dollar spent. His analysis of the cost-effectiveness of prison compared to policing suggests that states can cut their total budgets for justice and reduce crime by reallocating their spending on crime: less prison, more police.

Nurse-Family Partnerships: From Trials to International Replication Dr. David Olds, University of Colorado Jan. 20, 2010

David Olds, founder of the Nurse-Family Partnership Program, describes the programs long-term impact on mothers and babies who began participating in the program more than 19 years ago. The Nurse-Family Partnership maternal health program introduces vulnerable first-time parents to maternal and child health nurses. It allows nurses to deliver the support first-time moms need to have a healthy pregnancy, become knowledgeable and responsible parents, and provide their babies and later children and young adults with the best possible start in life.

Legitimacy and Community Cooperation With Law Enforcement Dr. Tom R. Tyler, New York University Aug. 25, 2009

Tom R. Tyler, chair of the New York University psychology department, describes research on profiling and community policing. His research found that citizens of all races show greater respect for law enforcement when they believe officers are treating them fairly. Even citizens who experienced a negative outcome getting a traffic ticket, for example showed higher levels of respect for and cooperation with law enforcement as long as they believed they were not being singled out unfairly.

Men Who Murder Their Families: What the Research Tells Us Dr. Jackie Campbell, Johns Hopkins University Dr. Richard Gelles, University of Pennsylvania, David Adams, author of
Why Do They Kill? Men Who Murder Their Intimate Partners June 2, 2009

Experts discuss cases of domestic violence that escalate to homicide followed by suicide. Although the economy and unemployment are risk factors, prior domestic violence is by far the number one risk factor. The men usually display possessive, obsessive and jealous behavior, and they typically use guns to threaten and terrorize before they use them to kill.

Crime Mapping and Hot Spots Policing Dr. David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor of Administration of Justice at George Mason University Oct. 26, 2009

David Weisburd, recipient of the 2010 Stockholm Prize in Criminology, explains research showing that intensified police patrols in high-crime hot spots can substantially decrease crime without causing it to rise in other areas. He explains the effectiveness of policing that concentrates prevention efforts at less than 5 percent of all street corners and addresses where more than 50 percent of urban crime occurs. The evidence suggests that crimes depend not just on criminals, but also on policing in key places.

Civil Protection Order Enforcement NIJ
Research for the Real World Seminar October 2009 T.K. Logan, Professor, University of Kentucky

T.K. Logan discusses her study that looked at the impact of civil protective orders for domestic violence victims in five Kentucky jurisdictions. Civil protective orders, sometimes known as restraining orders, may cover various situations, such as ordering an assailant to avoid a victim's home and workplace or forbidding any contact with the victim, including by mail or telephone.

We also captured an interview with Professor Logan and Teri Faragher, M.S.W., C.S.W., Executive Director, Domestic Violence Prevention Board, Fayette County, Ky., in which they discuss in consequences, responses and costs and protective order effectiveness.

From the Academy to Retirement: A Journey Through the Policing Lifecycle Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum, Professor of Criminal Justice and Psychology at University of Illinois at Chicago Dec. 11, 2009

Professor Rosenbaum and a panel of colleagues discuss a study to demonstrate the feasibility of creating a foundation from which to launch studies about multiple aspects of policing using standardized definitions and measurement tools. Their goal is to advance knowledge about policing and translate data into evidence-based best practices that improve training, supervision and accountability systems. The effort is expected to produce a better understanding of what motivates police officers and makes them healthier, happier and more effective.

The subprime mortgage industry collapse has led to a record number of foreclosures. In this environment, the interest mortgage fraud has risen, along with questions of how fraud contributed to the crisis. Henry Pontell and Sally Simpson discuss what they have learned about investigating and prosecuting white-collar criminals, the role of corporate ethics in America, and what policymakers and lawyers can learn from evidence of fraud.

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